up the river

Questions

What does up the river mean?

To prison.

Where does up the river come from?

A reference to Sing Sing prison, which is located on the Hudson river, to the north of (and upstream from) New York City.

How to pronounce up the river

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “up the river”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “up the river”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “up the river” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.